What are we doing?! I can’t believe how dissociated we are to what we’re doing to our world and not stopping ourselves, or seeing that we’re making our lives worse in the process. Case in point: this advertisement I saw walking home from teaching the other day. In case you don’t know, Manhattan Mini Storage rents closets you can store your stuff in. They have locations throughout the New York.[…] Keep reading →

The internet is filled with “10 tips to lower your carbon footprint” and “21 easy ways to help the environment.” Here’s a screen shot: There are too many pages of them to count. They aren’t working. Sure, some people might change a light bulb or two, but greenhouse gas levels aren’t decreasing, nor is pollution, nor resource depletion. The number one problem with “little tips” People say enough little things[…] Keep reading →

Freedom comes from needing less more than having more, in my experience. How little do you need? Can you decrease your needs? I wrote a friend, in response to something he said about needs: I’m sensitive to the word need, since I consider neediness one of the least attractive qualities people can have, so as much as I value sidchas, instead of saying you need to do the thing daily,[…] Keep reading →

Following up Dov Baron‘s questions from yesterday and the day before, the next and last question he recommend me answering was Question: If I led in the environment and no one knew my name, what change I created would be my legacy? My answer: My legacy would be that people will view changing their behavior to reduce their pollution, greenhouse emissions, resource depletion, and the like as joyful fun opportunities[…] Keep reading →

I can’t believe it’s not obvious to everyone that driving the problems of pollution, global warming, resource depletion, extinctions, conflict over resources, pestilence, and related issues is overpopulation. It’s not the only issue, but it’s one of the main drivers. Maybe the main one. People have a weird knee-jerk response to think the opposite of overpopulation is eugenics, Nazism, killing, giving up modernity, returning to living in caves, economic collapse[…] Keep reading →

People keep talking to me about “raising awareness” about the environment. Sometimes they talk about it as a first step, as if it’s progress. Many don’t realize it, but they actually see awareness as their final step. As in, they consider themselves aware of what’s happening, and then continue doing what they always did. A lot of people use awareness not as a stepping stone but as a source of[…] Keep reading →

What’s more exotic, a mango or a turnip? In New York City, and most of the U.S., you can buy mangoes at many stores. Turnips are harder to find. People say they travel to experience new, exotic things. But they don’t see that there are new things in their back yards. What’s sweeter, ice cream or an apple? Ice cream has more sugar than apples and for most Americans, who[…] Keep reading →